Manifest Destiny
by Sugar-Spyd3r
Summary: "Look, I don't really care who you are, where you came from, or what you think of me, I didn't come here to sit and listen to your life story, and I didn't come here to tell you mine. I used to have someone I wanted to protect too, but you know what, not everybody gets a happy ending. I never look back, I deal with it and move on."-K.
1. Chapter 1 My Name Means Nothing

It would have been considered a fairly pleasant day if not for the stab wound in my arm, it was acquired during my voyage here when I was confronted by a bandit. He was alone and didn't provide much of a challenge, he was easily taken care of but my sever lack of weapons and medical supplies left me in quite the situation. I did my best and took the sleeve of my black kimono pressing it firmly against the gash. It impeded my progress, but only slightly. However, my journey was nearing its end, I would be able to reach the village of Konoha by late evening, hopefully before dusk fell. Having crossed the whole of the country of fire did take some time, I am willing to admit my sense of direction needed much work. I did pick up a few new tricks along the way though, and I wouldn't hesitate to use them in my newest, and greatest challenge yet.

I was going to become a ninja in the Hidden Leaf. Having fended for myself most of my life held no real opportunity of doing so in the Past. My old home was a small village bordering the country of Earth and the country of Wind, they had no need for ninjas, of course that hadn't been the first reason to leave, that would have been the passing of my mother. I was plenty capable of fighting, in fact the sole reason I even exist is to fight, that I am sure of. It wasn't evident at first, at the age of seven when I left I was misguided, weak, and filled with a senseless rage I couldn't understand at the time. No one thought I would last for more than a week on my own, which only fueled my conviction. Not long after I would meet many kind people, be it a brief travel companion, or a stranger who was generous enough to offer assistance.

I learned patience, strength, and determination. I listened to the stories of the wise, the young, the poor, and the ruthless, and it made me realize that to get anywhere in this world you must not show any weakness what-so-ever. I trained for years building every fiber of my being on this belief, at times crossing boundaries which are often labeled as taboo, but I knew of the dangers and pressed onward. I vowed to myself that I would never let anything get in my way again. I would fight as long as I had to, train harder than anyone to become the best. It was my purpose, it was the destiny I created on my own. I faced hardships with open arms accepting everything that accompanied them, whether it be pain, hunger, or sickness. I would become someone stronger because of it and to be strong is all that I craved. I didn't do it for the sake of others, it was only ever to benefit myself, and it would always stay that way.

I peered into the sky shading my eyes with my hand, the sun was just beginning slip behind the horizon when the tall gates of Konoha came in to my view. Those that guarded the entrance were quickly aware of my presence and cautiously watched my approach.

"Hello! Welcome to the village, please state your Name and business. " One said, his tone seemed friendly enough but the look in his eyes told me a different story. It was obvious he questioned why such a young child was traveling alone so late at night. Who could blame them though, anyone could be an enemy for all we know, even a kid like me.

"My Name is Kanra. I have come in hopes that I might join the hidden leaf village as both a citizen and shinobi." I bowed my head and answered in a somber tone. The man eyed me with a skeptical gaze but none the less, waved over two men who were clearly not the average ninja. Really is that even necessary? Is it not clear that I mean them no harm? None the less, the two of them flanked me on either side and escorted me through the town, to no surprise all the civilians still active were watched warily as we passed. I made note of most the buildings, trying my hardest to memorize the route the entire way, after several minutes of total silence it was evident they intended to take me to their Kage. The Hokage's residence was hardly impressive and after all that I had heard about it I was left feeling pretty disappointed, really it was nothing to write home about, it was no more than three stories and had a bland color scheme consisting of faded red with yellowing accents.

The two ninja hurried me up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of two large oak wood doors. They each held opened a door and allowed me to pass through first. The room, for the most part, seemed to be a mess. It was small and cluttered with papers and scrolls alike, in the center of the room was a dark wooden desk where the hokage was seated. The man was old with a great, long beard of white, and a face marred by age, he chewed on the end of a pipe and gazed at me with inquiring eyes.

"Why is it you've come here?" He questioned, lifting the pipe from his mouth and gingerly placing it on his desk. I bowed my head once more.

"I have come to request a position in this village as a ninja in training, sir." He inhaled, looking me over quickly.

"I would like you to tell me your name and exactly why it is that you wish to train here." He ordered. I looked him in the eyes calmly as I began to answer him.

"My name is Kanra, no surname. I hail from Dokomo village, I wish to enroll in a training academy here as there are none back home. Dokomo village is a small mining town and had no need for shinobi of any type." As I finished he chuckled lightly and smiled.

"That's quite the name you have," He said with a subtle, mocking voice. "And I understand your reasoning, but tell me why exactly do you wish to become a ninja?" His eyes hardened as his question came to a close. I stared back with just as much intensity, and clenched my hands.

"I wish to be stronger, I want to achieve my goals at any cost, and I don't want to be so useless anymore! More than anything else in the world, I want to fight for everything I'm worth!"

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 **Hello all, it's been a while, but I thought I'd try out writing something for the summer. School was really busy last year so I had no time for writing. But summer is here and I've been craving a good Naruto fic, the problem is, they are all really the same, so I going to try something a little different, tell me if you like it or not, review and follow n' stuff. This was just a test chapter, so ya know tell me if you liked it, see ya.**


	2. Chapter 2 My Actions Speak for Me

For a moment everything was quiet, no one moved, only stared. Soon enough however, The old man let out a brief chuckle and closed his eyes. Yet, my gaze remained fierce.

"What a strong will you must have," He leaned forward and his eyes snapped open instantaneously. I fought against my instinct, which was telling me to step back out of the danger zone, his elderly appearance was clearly a façade. "None the less, how do you plan on convincing me you aren't a threat to our village?"

I smirked, of course it wasn't going to be as easy as asking please. To walk into one of the largest and most successful ninja training villages, you had to be expected to show your true worth.

"Look, I may not be much, but that's why I'm here after all. I _**need**_ to be able to hold my own out in this brutal world. What better way to do that than become a great ninja. So, what reason is there to fear a child in training? If you honestly think I'm any type of dangerous go ahead and watch me all you want." I crossed my arms and patiently awaited his response. By the look of it he wasn't yet satisfied with my reasoning.

"I suppose that's understandable, but you still haven't answered my question, how are we to trust you?"

"Fine, if my word isn't enough for you, let my actions speak for me. Allow me to show you the fullest extent of my intentions and assess my honest virtues." This seem to suffice, he relaxed and once again his mannerly appearance returned.

"Very well. Although, I have to say I am quite impressed, there hasn't been such a young and determined child confront me like this in a very long time. If your intent is as true as you claim it to be, you'll have no problem fitting in. But be warned, if in any way you become untrustworthy, we will have no choice but to take you down as we would any rogue ninja."

"I understand perfectly." I said with content, the old man smiled letting out a small chuckle as I let my arms fall to my sides. I flinched and almost reached out to cradle my injury, but I didn't want to show him any weakness, instead I bit the inside of my cheek and endured the pain. For a second, I was sure the Hokage noticed but even if he did he didn't comment on it, he did however wave his hand to call over one of the ninja that had been standing patiently in the corner of the room. The ninja complied wordlessly and stood next to the old man who motioned for him to lean in closer. Quietly the two began to whisper amongst one another, nodding every few seconds and glance back towards me once or twice. I couldn't hear a word of what they said but it was no doubt about me, likely about what to do with me, I had just showed up unannounced so of course there would be complications.

While I stood there thinking it out the two raised their heads and the ninja vanished in a burst of smoke, I waved my hand rapidly in front of nose, trying my best to chase away the stench of it. It was already too late and the smell chocked me.

"So then Kanra, I want to ask you some things and trust you will answer them as honestly as possible." He announced, I nodded and he stood slowly from his chair. He stepped around the desk and paced around me carefully, I made sure to keep my eyes on him though, hardly letting him out of my sight for more than a second.

"Taking in to consideration how young you are and where you come from I would expect you to have little to no training. However," He stopped in front of me staring down, face mostly shadowed by his hat. "You appear to be more experienced than I first thought, so tell me, how much do you actually know about being a shinobi?" I wasn't going to lie, his eyes unsettled me, so I gather my courage and answered him.

"Maybe not as much as those who have been properly trained, but I know how to take care of myself. In other words, I've got the basics down and then some."

"I see, so you came here alone, correct?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Haven't you anyone to take care of you?"

"...No." I didn't need to say anything else, I didn't want to and if he asked why I wouldn't tell him. I am entitled to a few secrets after all. Surprisingly he didn't go any further with the subject and let it drop, instead he asked me more about the things a proper ninja should have known. Things about chakra, the names of all the current kages, the different types of weapons a good ninja should always carry. Two of the most important things you learn when traveling alone are soak up whatever info you can, and if you don't know something lie, but lie confidently.

"So are we done here?" I asked restlessly, tired from standing. The Hokage nodded and held his hands behind his back as he addressed me.

"Yes, I believe so. I think now that I understand you a little more I can make a genuine decision. I thought perhaps that we could wait to enroll you in training when this years academy students graduated, but looking back on our little interview I think it would really be a waste of time if we made you do that. So I insist that we move you into the class immediately." I blinked in shock, I hadn't expected this to go over so smoothly, in fact I figured it would take much longer. Then again the deal can't be that great unless there's a catch to it.

"So what made you change your mind?" I asked in suspicion.

"Well if you must know, it will make watching you much easier, we would be able to easily know your location. And once the students are put into squads, your assigned sensei will also report to us your progress." I should have known, it made so much more sense now. They would know exactly where I would be almost everyday, I guess I underestimated them.

"Well since that's taken care of, and it's pretty late, I think it's about time I leave."

"I nearly forgot about your living arrangements-" I stopped him with a dismissive wave of my good arm.

"Don't bother, it's far too late. Besides I'd prefer sleeping out under the stars tonight." I explained, this seemed to upset those in the room. Ignoring them I rolled my eyes, in seconds I was at the window, quickly I opened it and threw myself down the building. Landing with a soft grunt I turned to dash off back in the direction of the front gates, back in the office I could hear old man hokage telling them to remain with him. I mentally thanked him for the privacy.

As I had predicted, it was well into the night, the streets were empty, the lights of homes were dimmed or out completely. I could only hear the sounds of my quick breaths and my sandals as they made contact with ground. Out of breath and bleeding heavily from my arm I made it back to the small outpost where the guards had been, sliding quietly over the counter I ducked down and began rummaging around.

"Got it~" I whispered triumphantly to myself. It was common for an outpost to store a few medical supplies in case of surprise attacks and other such situations. With a small amount of difficulty I peeled away my kimono sleeve to assess the damage. The wound itself hadn't been bad, however since my arrival I had done a lot of moving. The cut had split itself wider by an inch or two and was starting to scab over near the edges. I took one of the clean cloths and dowsed it in disinfectant, taking a deep breath I pressed the rag against my arm.

As soon as it made contact I wanted to scream, the medicine stung beyond belief but I wouldn't risk an infection. After a few long minutes I discarded the cloth and carefully wrapped my forearm with a roll of bandages. Finally the ache began to settle down to a manageable level and I let out a relieved sigh.

"Still only day one and I manage to get myself injured." I groaned to myself as I stood, tomorrow was sure to be an eventful day.

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 **Sorry that this chapter is pretty shitty, I just wanted to get it out of the way so we can get to the action but I don't want you to miss out on the thoughts of our hero(?) or whatever they might be, ya never know :DDDD But yeah, I'm gonna try to upload again soon with a much longer chapter, so look forward to that soon~ \\(ouo)/ If there was anything to correct or you want to ask don't forget to comment!**


	3. Chapter 3 You Don't Know Anything

**Btw I don't own Naruto, any of its characters or it's original plot(obviously) I only own my characters i.e Kanra, and any alterations to said plot(Because ya know it is a fanfic...) Now hecklers be gone!**

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Running.

Always running, but from what? I know it's stupid because I know it's a dream, but I always run away. And it is always the same dream. Over and over and over. Something is chasing me and I get scared and I run, because whatever is tailing me isn't human. In my dreams I can never quite see it, this _thing_ is always too fast, darting just out of my field of vision before the hunt begins. It always ends the same way as well.

I'll run as far as I can...until I get tired. I start slowing down, things get dark, and then...I wake up.

I jolt upwards nearly colliding with the branches above me, holding a hand tight over my chest to calm my heart. I do my best trying to remember the next part, but as always it's gone, and soon the rest of the dream will be forgotten. Just like always.

My breathing was shaky but my heart had settled down, I let go of my chest and winced as my arm was jostled. Taking a look around, I finally noticed that the sun had only just risen, meaning the day was soon to begin. Carefully I began maneuvering down the trunk of the cedar tree in which I had slept. It wasn't the most comfortable spot but it was safer than the ground. In minutes my feet unsteadily met with the soft grass below, I stumble but swiftly regained my balance.

With a small yawn I raised both my arms and stretched, I didn't stop until I heard the satisfying popping of my spine and shoulders. Gently I lowered both arms and rolled back my sleeves. The left was fine and as pale as ever, the right one was slightly swollen but seemed fine. The bandages only had the slightest speckles of blood so I decided I would change them later.

"Hey you must be Kanra, right?" A voice spoke from just behind me. I turned slowly a somber look on my face as I assessed the man before me. From the particular set of clothing he wore I could tell he was a higher ranked ninja. He gave me a friendly smile as I looked him over, there wasn't anything too exciting or really unforgettable about him, aside from the scare the stretched across his face and over the bridge of his nose. I had a feeling there was quite a story behind that.

"Yes." I stated with hardly any enthusiasm, he let out a small uncomfortable laugh.

"That's good, I thought I'd be looking much longer after the Hokage told me you'd run off." He scratched the back of his neck as an awkward silence settled over us.

"So, I was told I would be joining the Academy students this year."

"Yes actually, considering that graduation is a little less than two weeks away, I'm a little surprised. Tell me, have you had any previous training?" His smile remained but I could tell he was baiting me, undoubtedly the Hokage had brought him up to speed on the situation and this man was just doing his job.

"I suppose you could say that." I said being as vague as possible, adding in a small smile did the trick as his grin faltered for a brief moment. Two could play this game, if he wanted to beat around the bush than so could I.

"Well that's why I'm here after all. You've been assigned to my class so I'm to show you the way." And to watch me of course. I made no attempt to protest and followed him.

As we left, what I had been told was the training grounds, I noticed only a few people had emerged from their homes. When we passed the few citizens that were out each greeted the man with a warm smile and friendly wave, so he was well known in the village, that is to be expected from a higher ranking ninja.

"Your name."

"Huh?"

"You never told me your name, you know mine but you never told me yours. To be completely honest I find it just a bit rude." I told him not meeting his eyes.

"...Iruka. Iruka Umino. Like I said I'm teaching this years graduates, now wouldn't it make a little more sense if you told me a bit about yourself?" He asked trying to draw the information out of me once again.

"I think we should wait untill I am able to properly introduce my self to the entire class, now wouldn't that make a little more sense?" I quoted. He didn't commemnt on it but he knew I was pretty much stalling for time. People would start asking questions of course, and I was going to try my best to avoid them, I valued my privacy above anything else. From then on it was quiet, neither of us willing to speak.

It was only a matter of time before we finally made it to the academy, it was very simple, made of plain wood with very little color. I couldn't help but like it though, it reminded me of something, but I couldn't put a name to it. I ignored the feeling as I was escorted to the entrance, down the hall and into an empty class room. I looked up to Iruka.

"Is there any unoccupied seats?"

"You don't want to pick one?"

"No," I answered sighing at the obvious question. "It would be impolite to take a seat from another student, you honestly didn't think of that?" Really, what kind of teacher was this guy?

"Well no, but I just kind of them sit where they like. I'm surprised though, that you would be so...mannerly."

"I'm not a heathen sir, I was taught to treat other as I would expect to be treated myself, but that doesn't mean that they've earn my respect." I huffed in annoyance, this guy was kinda dense for a ninja. None the less he was my teacher and I would try my best to accept that fact. He didn't say anything more as he walked to his desk in the front of the room, he quickly grabbed some sort of form and scribbled something down.

"If you don't mind, the very last row is almost empty so take any seat you like there." I nodded and walked to the first seat of the last row closest to the wall. I sat, folding my arms leaning on them. Iruka was writing down something on the chalk board with his back turned towards me, letting my childish nature get the best of me for a second I stuck out my tongue at him. Of course he didn't see it and the effort was wasted but it made me feel just a little better. Ignoring him, I glanced out of the window, in the far distance I could see a mountain with faces adorning it. How strange, I wonder is this Konaha's Hokage monument? I guess since I'll be living here from now on I'll have to learn the names of those people.

I continued to gaze at nothing in particular as I lowered my head onto my crossed arms. Before I knew what was happening my eyes closed and I started drifting off, who could blame me though, it had a pretty eventful night.

This time there were no dreams, instead I was woken up by the sound of chairs scraping against the floor. I lifted my head slightly and cracked open an eye. Many of the students had already arrived and were chattering amongst them selves, but it appeared that no one had noticed me yet, and for that I was grateful. I could avoid confrontation for now and observe my fellow classmates unobtrusively. So far none of them seemed to out of the ordinary, but who knows, they might have a secret talent or two. In any case I considered going back to sleep, until the screaming started.

Nearly every girl began to squeal and crowd around the door, I couldn't stand the sound of it and pressed my palms against my ears as I watched on in irritation. The crowd parted to let through a boy who reeked of arrogance. He strolled away from them with his hands in his pockets and a bored look gracing his features. I didn't really like the look of him, but it was very clear he was popular among the female students and something about the way he held himself told me all I needed to know. He was strong, stronger than me, but that didn't scare me in the slightest, in fact I welcomed the idea of it.

When the boy took his seat, his legion of fans followed fighting to get a chair closest to him, in hindsight I guess I understood why Iruka let them choose their seats, I wouldn't want to deal with that mess either. The class immediately began to settle as our teacher stood from his spot, he opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a single word the door flew open and in stepped a kid clad in bright orange clothes. Sure he looked a little strange but that didn't excuse the sudden chill that formed in the air.

All the other students either glared with disgust or turned up their noses as he sluggishly trudged to his own seat.

"Ahem, nice of you to finally show up to class for once Naruto," Iruka sighed as 'Naruto' glanced away in disinterest. I tilted my head in wonder, what did he do to earn a reputation like this, in any case he seemed to be the juvenile type. "Okay, moving on, class I would like to announce that we have had a new student transfer into our group. I hope that you will all be able to get along." He finished with pointed looks at Naruto and the boy surrounded by his apparent fan base. Neither seemed to care.

Taking this as my cue, I slipped out of my chair and calmly walked to the front of the class next to our Sensei. I stopped, turned to face the rest of my fellow classmates, and promptly folded both my arms into the sleeves of my usual kimono. I made sure my bandages were well hidden before looking up at them.

"Please introduce yourself to the others." Iruka commanded, I nodded and did as he asked.

"Hello, my name is Kanra Nanimo," A lie I don't have a last name, but they don't need to know that."And I come from Dokomo village." I explained, by now most of them were whispering to each other, likely judging me before I could tell them anything more. This made me just a smidgen...nervous. I glanced to my left to avoid their eyes. "I'm not really sure what else to say so if you have any questions I will try my best to answer them." A girl quickly raised her hand, I looked at her and she smiled.

"Hi! So you said you were from Dokomo Village, where is that exactly?"

"Well it's a pretty small town and it is roughly somewhere right between the country of Earth and the country of wind." Another hand raised it self from across the room and I looked to them as well.

"That's a pretty long way from here, how'd you get to the leaf village?" A short boy with glasses questioned.

"Well how else, I walked." I stated the smallest hint of annoyance in my answer, but he must not have caught on as he asked yet another question.

"So who was traveling with you?"

"...No one." Another cut in.

"So you came alone, where are your parents?" I kept my cool as I responded.

"...I don't know, they left when I was very young and I've never met them," It wasn't exactly a lie, I never knew my father and my mother never spoke of him, I could only assume it was a one night stand kind of deal because she was never married.

"So who took care of you?" More people joined in and I lied again.

"My Grandmother, but recently we've been having some...family conflict."

"So Kanra, umm what kind of plants are your favorite?" A girl dark purple hair and milky white eyes inquired. This one threw me off, where did that come from?

"Why?"

"I just thought t-that you looked a little uncomfortable with s-such personal questions." She looked away and twiddled her thumbs uncertainly.

"Snapdragons." I gave her genuine grin.

"U-uh-"

"They're a kind of flower, good in early spring and late winter because they can handle frost really well. They are usually red, but come in other colors, they smell really nice too. They need a lot of care to grow properly but I think it's really worth it in the end." I rambled some and she smiled back.

"Wow. You know a lot about flowers for a boy." Said a girl with long blond hair in a high pony tail.

"But...I'm not a boy..." She stared at me and I stared back.

There weren't anymore questions, no one whispered they only stared. The nervous feeling returned and increased twofold. Suddenly the blonde grimaced and leaned over her desk to take a closer look. I frowned wanting to take a step back or at least go sit back down so everyone would stop looking at me, even the haughty black haired boy with the dark eyes squinted in suspicion.

"W-well I think that's enough questions for now!" Iruka stepped in front of me and waved his hands to gain everyone's attention. "Kanra why don't you go take a seat so we can get on with todays lesson." I didn't say a word as I hurried back to my place in the back of the room. Even after I was seated and class resumed some people still looked back, still in mild shock. I put my head down trying to hide from their gazes, after a while I succeeded and all eyes were focused on the board at the front.

I didn't bother listening to anything Iruka-Sensei was saying, I was way too distracted. Running a gentle hand through my short black hair I blinked in thought. It was probably the hair that confused them, having it long is too inconvenient and I hacked nearly all of it off with a dull hunting knife two short months ago. I thought it looked pretty good on me, maybe it looked a little _too good._ I guess that it never occurred to me that I even looked like a guy, I was never one for appearances. Should I grow it out or- No. No, what am I talking about, what do I care if I don't look very feminine. I'm training to be a ninja not beauty queen.

I chased the ridiculous notion away and gave Iruka my undivided attention. Something so vain as looks weren't going to stop me from achieving my goals. I spent the rest of the class time soaking in all that I could on the topic.

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 **Well SURPRISE! An early chapter! Yeah Kanra is a lady, girls are hella strong and independent. She has her own struggles to deal with, and now she's self-conscious (VnV) poor child. She's got a lot to learn before she become a proper ninja, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear 'em! PLEASE leave a review and tell me your thoughts so far, this fic's got potential but we all need a little help sometimes~ ( •⌄• ू )✧**


	4. Chapter 4 Like A Stalker

**So I'm going to try something weird...At the end of this chapter there will be two choices, Route A and B, this also means after this story could have different endings! Meaning updates may be slightly slower...(._.) To get to your selected routes you will have to pick them from the chapter selection so be careful!**

Once the bell sounded and we were dismissed I was out of the room in a flash, as quietly and quick as I could manage, I left the building. The events of today already replaying themselves in my mind, and for whatever reason I wasn't angry. Even I assumed such comments would rile up my short temper, but I couldn't find it my heart to get worked up over it. This only served to make me confused and utterly flustered, I wasn't really sure how to deal with all this, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not very social.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not scared of people, just curious. They aren't like any other creature, everything from their temperaments and even their personality differed from one another. They were each very unique, no two exactly alike. That's what made me nervous, you could never predict the next move they would make. Sure you could make a particularly educated guess, but there was always some overlooked factor that you would never have considered. Humans change their minds too quickly to account for, but I guess that is what makes us so entertaining.

Once I left the academy I practically sprinted all they way back to the tree I'd slept in the night before. As I reached the base of it, I slowed, bracing myself against it's sturdy trunk.

What do I do now? That was awful, if I had known school was so unbearable I would have definitely opted out of this whole ninja thing. But, I can't, because that would make me a quitter and quitters are losers. So I guess I'll just have to bite my tongue and deal with it.

"What did I get myself into." I groaned, leaning against the tree. After taking several slow breaths I turned and climbed up to the lowest branches where my travel bag was stowed away. With caution I released the trunk and stepped out onto a limb. Under my weight it swayed slightly, but held strong, as I inched towards the middle where it split into two more branches. Tucked between the two was the dusty, beat up, grey sack I always carried with me. With haste I snatched it up and bounded back to the trunk.

Once my feet were back on the ground, I started rummaging through the contents of my bag, pulling out trash and other odds and ends.

"Come on, I know it's here, I made sure I didn't forget this time!" I whispered desperately to my self. With growing exasperation I turned the bag on its end and let it spill onto the grass before me, in an instant I spotted the small, cloth wrapped bundle I had been searching for. In it was all the money I had, it wasn't a lot but it would be enough to survive on for a while. I could buy plenty of meals and possibly a new set of clothes, however...this means I'll have to brave a trip into the town.

I bit my lip as I tried to find some reason to stay here under the tree. Fine. I'll admit it, I might care, just a little, about what other people think about me. It's not my fault, really. But just thinking about it makes me wanna beat the shit out of some one. I groaned loudly and pulled relentlessly at my own hair.

"Trouble?" I jumped up at the sudden voice. What I wanted to do was to turn around and slug whoever it was in the face, fortunately for me I ended up tripping over my own feet and face planting into the dirt. And so the elegant swan that I was took it all in stride. "Really? You're the one I've been assigned to watch? Honestly, Iruka made it sound like you were some sort of trained spy from an enemy village."

As I picked myself up and dusted off my clothes, I growled. "Who knows, if I was a spy, maybe this was all on purpose. Because if I know anything, spies generally don't go around acting like they've been trained by the Hokage themselves."

"So, what you're trying to say is, you really are a spy."

"Nope." I added extra emphasis on the 'p' as I turned to face the man who was speaking to me. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I had ever seen anyone quite like him.

"What, is there something on my face?" He asked as he absentmindedly scratched at his cheek.

"Dunno, can't tell with the mask and all, why don't you show me your face and I'll let you know." He laughed, and from the way his half mask stretched, I could tell he was grinning.

"Sorry but that's not happening, I'll give you points for effort though. Anyway, enough chitchat, I'm here to formally introduce myself. Ahem, My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I have been personally entrusted with the duty of watching you after school hours." I sighed, his laid back attitude was already getting on my nerves,

"Let me get this straight, you are the one the old man sent." He nodded. "Okay, so my first impression of you is, you're a complete idiot."

"Ahhhh, excellent observation, I like that. Unfortunately that's wrong." He laughed(sarcastically).

"Please, do explain then. Tell me why you decided to come straight out and tell me, a 'suspected spy' you are going to practically stalk me. It would have been much easier to watch from a distance and avoid meaningless confrontation like this. Not only that, you even had audacity to tell me your full name. You know, I thought that Leaf ninja were smart."

"Well here's the thing," He kneeled down to my height, intentionally pissing me off."I really don't believe in wasting my time on something as ridiculous as this, so let's just hurry this along, shall we? I told you my name, so naturally I expect you to tell me yours."

"Fair enough, you make a good argument, my name is Kanra Nanimo." I wasn't going to argue, his answer was actually really insightful, but that didn't mean I was going to trust him.

"Excellent, now, I have a few questions-"

"No." I could already imagine the look on his face, if he was going to be so annoyingly straightforward, I was going to be as vague and unproductive as possible. Why? I don't know, I'm a kid, do I really need a reason?

"Alright, that's how it's gonna be, huh." I remained silent. "So, here's how I see it, you have two options here. Since you refuse to cooperate, I can have you immediately turned over to Konoha's Torture and Interrogation force, which is exactly as unpleasant as it sounds. Or, you'll listen to me, and answer any question I ask. How's that sound?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Well, you are definitely way more ambitious than I gave you credit for, so I guess I can comply... For a price." I added subtly glancing down at my fingernails with a seemingly thoughtless expression. He sighed heavily and it gave me a feeling that he was familiar with needy brats, brats like me.

"Fine, what is it?"

I sat in the taller grasses near the river while Kakashi decided to stand. I let my fingers drag through the current, letting the cool waters sooth me.

"So."

"So?" I looked up at him.

"Was that really all you wanted?" He asked suddenly, he seemed...I don't know, confused?

"Well, I could have gone without all the awkward staring, but I just...didn't want to get lost." I thought back to just a short time ago. The walk through town wasn't as bad with someone to guide me, but the extra attention that accompanied him definitely made me uneasy. Still, I appreciated the help. "Why, I didn't do anything wrong." I hissed out. He held up his hands as if to defend himself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend...much." I scoffed at him and turned my attention back on the water, a bright green leaf floated gently towards me, I picked it up and twirled it absent mindedly by the stem. We were quiet for a long time, the peaceful silence was filled with the ever present sounds of nature. The wind rustled the trees, birds flittered between branches, and the river rushed against the rocky bank. These were some of my favorite sounds, the ones best enjoyed on a lazy afternoon. Simple things like these always made me forget about all the bad in the world, small breaks in time that honestly made me believe in true peace. But these moments never last very long.

The heavy sounds of the older ninja's shoes shuffling through the vegetation was enough to disrupt my thinking. Again I looked at him, he seemed to be reaching for something, he shifted and pulled a small orange book for a pouch attached to his leg. I gave the cover a good look.

I knew right away that this particular book, wasn't very child friendly. I looked away, it was none of my business anyhow. Instead I got up and dusted off my clothes, I grabbed the three bags at my feet and began to walk back to my tree. Kakashi didn't follow, I suspected he was busy with his reading, either way it didn't concern me in the least. I left him by the river and journeyed back to my temporary 'home'. It was quickly becoming night, but even that couldn't bother me, I was just...worried? Anxious? I wasn't sure, but it wasn't exactly a good feeling, it was more like the eerie calm before a massive storm struck. It was in the air, an ominous chill. I walked a little faster.

It was dark when I got back, and I was tired. I stowed away the things I bought and crawled into a comfortable nook between the two thickest limbs. I pulled a faded blue blanket out of my bag and draped it carelessly across my body, I felt like I was going to need all the sleep I could get tonight.

The soft sunlight breaching the canopy of leaves woke me this time, no more strangers, or odd stalkers, just the warm morning sun. It was so serene I almost wanted to go back to sleep, but I knew that someone would just show up to bother me. I didn't want to go back to that classroom just yet though.

So what exactly should I even do? I don't know anyone, but I don't want go back, what else is there?

 **Route (A)** Ditch school and explore: Complete.

or

 **Route (B)** Man up and attend class: _**coming soon**_

 **So there we have it not a super long chapter, but still very important. I know it took a while to update, but to be honest I've just been putting off a lot of school work lately and I had to get caught up. I'm already working on route A and B will be started soon. But remember** **not every** **chapter will have a choice at the end (because not only would that be A LOT of work) that would cause the path to diverge into too many alternate endings. So yeah, enjoy, and don't forget to leave your input in a review, I would REALLY appreciate the help~**

 **Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5(A) Not Like I care

**Btw I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER ;-;**

 **(see end for extra info!)_**

Yeah, you know what, to hell with it. It's not like anyone is gonna miss me. What's one missed day at the academy compared to the next few weeks. Besides, I just got here, I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste. And I doubt that doing a little exploration will get me in to too much trouble.(Or it would be the exact opposite and they'd have me killed.) I looked around to make sure no one was hidden in the shrubbery before changing into the new outfit I'd bought yesterday afternoon. It was pretty simple and consisted of the minimal standard of ninja gear, of course I didn't want to establish a 'look' just yet. But to add a little flare to it I took out my lucky set of jade beads and tied then on the loops of my waist band. The beads used to belong to my mother but... she wasn't around to wear them anymore, so I might as well have something nice to remember her by.

The cut on my arm was healing nicely, no sign of infection and it didn't look like it start bleeding spontaneously, so there was no need for the extra bandages I had. Not wanting to waste them I wrapped a layer of them around the knuckles on both my hands. I was best at taijutsu, so it would be nice to have a little cushioning, I could always buy some sturdy combat gloves later. I jumped down from my branch with ease and raised both arms above my head to stretch. Once I was satisfied I set off, I avoided the main streets of the village in favor of the empty side roads. As I walked along it occurred to me that by roof top I could get a better view of the place, but then again, it was best I wasn't spotted. I knew that once someone had taken notice of my absence they would begin a search immediately, so I might as well be careful and stall until someone shows up to haul me back to class.

While I walked I kept my eyes moving, trying to take in all that I could, the neat wooden fences, and the stone paths that were swept clean. For a back street, it was surprisingly tidy, yet nothing seemed out of place. By far the leaf village was the cleanest I'd ever been to. Usually any other place I visited on my journey was...sad. Poverty stricken. Divided clearly in two, the wealthy and the poor. There was no middle class, and it really hurt to see things like that. Yet, here in the leaf village, everyone got along so well.

Dare I say it? I do. Seeing the calm and open manner in which everyone interacted with one another... made me sick.

I clenched my fist as I stood motionless in the middle of the desolate street, looking up at the cloudless blue beyond. Thinking back on yesterday, when I had been escorted on my shopping trip, I now realized how utterly ill I felt walking through the village. Seeing them act so friendly, even in the presence of a stranger, made me feel physically nauseous. Where exactly had this contempt originated? Easy, I never got to know such peace, and witnessing first-hand Konoha's kindness was making me jealous beyond belief. It was pathetic, that I was getting myself so worked up over nothing, but I couldn't stop the emotions from building up. They formed an intangible weight in the center of my chest, amassing into a steadily rising bile in my throat, it took everything I had to force it back down.

This feeling made me want to tear something apart, made me feel like destroying the closest object, which just happen to be the tall wooden fence I stood next to. I knew it'd probably end up coming back to bite me in the ass and I knew I would feel a little guilty for ruining someones property, but hell, I was pissed.

Without another moment of hesitation, I reared back and threw all my anger and weight into the punch. But it didn't exactly work out like I wanted it to. Instead of the satisfying splintering and total destruction of the perfectly straight wooden planks my fist just kind of ripped through it and I landed a hit on something much softer. I instantly withdrew my hand and a loud groan followed after it. Down came some kind of weird patterned sheet and behind it a little blond boy, noticeably short than I, nursing his already swelling cheek. Okay I knew I was angry but that was just kind of cruel.

"Uhh hey sorry about that I didn't-" The kid snapped before I could even finish apologizing and swung his arm at me in retaliation.

"What the hell!? You big jerk, what did you do that for!" Clearly he wasn't really interested in what I had to say but I didn't want to hit him again so I did the only thing I could think of. I stood there and took my lumps like a man. He didn't pull his punch, he couldn't have or my teeth wouldn't have felt like they were about to drop out of my skull. My upper lip had to have split because I knew the sticky liquid quickly spreading down the corner of my mouth definitely wasn't spit. I reached up and wiped away the mess as best as I could (which didn't really work and just smeared it across my chin) and stared at the boy who seemed to be coming down from his anger high.

"Done yet?" I asked trying not further injure my lip, the boy looked up and flinched.

"I-well..." He definitely looked like he was upset with his action but I held up my hand to stop his stuttering.

"S'okay we're even now, besides I probably deserved that anyway. S'no need to worry." I lisped out, but the kid still looked like a kicked puppy. Shit, this wasn't even his fault, I'm probably going to regret this later but...

"Hey kid what's your name?" He seemed to forget everything as he instantly perked up at the chance for introduction.

"I'm Naruto Uzamaki, greatest prankster this side of Konoha, believe it!" Oh, I believe it alright. I sighed inwardly at the disgustingly upbeat attitude, I think I preferred his earlier mood compared to this.

"So, Naruto, what you doing out here?"

"What do you mean, I'm just standing here?" Wow he's a total idiot too, what a bonus.

"I mean,what are you doing out here instead of being in school?"

"Well, what are you doing out here?" He countered, surprising, I hadn't expected him to be so intuitive, I'll chalk this one up as a fluke.

"Well, if you really must know, I'm not all that interested in schooling. That's besides the point, don't try turning this around on me, what are _you_ doing out here?" I tried asking again. Relax Kanra, he's just a kid, remain civil. I repeated this mantra to myself on a loop as I waited for his answer.

"Well..." He raised an arm to sheepishly massage his bruised cheek. "I'm not really doing anything either, I thought about messing around like I usually do but I guess I wasn't really up for it today. So, I _was_ hiding until you came along and ruined my disguise." I glanced down at the sheet on the ground, a noticeable hole had been punched through it, yep...definitely ruined.

"Didn't know you were there, thought it was just a fence." I told him as bluntly as I could with no hint of remorse.

"Yeah, well thanks to you I'll probably get caught now!" He growled out, I smirked to myself. Riling people up was one of my favorite pastime activities, and Naruto made it way too easy.

"Not my problem, you should have found a better spot~" The look on his face pleased me, my inner demons finally simmering down as I goaded him on.

"What the hell?! How is this my fault, you shouldn't even be here! What kinda guy just goes around punching fences?" He sneered at my flippant remark. I couldn't help myself and kept pushing his buttons, not even bothering to correct his false assumption of my gender.

"Really, you know for being the 'best prankster' you really aren't all that smart. If someone from the academy was searching for you they'd pick up on your chakra in the blink of an eye." I was having fun, even if I was being a hypocrite because I didn't notice him at all, I wouldn't tell him that. So, bite me.

"Arghhh! You're so annoying, why are you still here anyway?"

"I love pissing people off, sue me"

"Well, go bother someone else!"

"I don't think so, It's too much trouble on my part."

"DAMN IT GET OUT OF HERE!" He grabbed at his hair in frustration, teeth grinding and eyes ablaze. Somebody should probably stop me before I get hit again, luckily (note the sarcasm) my prayers were answered.

"There you are!" I whipped around at the voice, looking up at the source. He was balanced on the edge of a roof, arms crossed in clear disappointment. I knew staying in one spot too long would get me caught, but do I ever listen, no. Beside me I could sense Naruto's frustration growing.

"Ahhh! See what you did, you lead Iruka sensei right to me!" I turned on him, no way was this blame getting placed on me.

"You were the one screaming like a deranged lunatic, this is your own fault!" I prodded him hard in the chest. He retaliated with a poke of his own, which escalated into pinching, then into hair pulling. Ninjas, am I right? Above me I could hear sensei sigh in exasperation before I was suddenly yanked up by the collar of my shirt. Across from me Naruto received a similar treatment.

"Put me down, he deserves it!" He struggled, fist outstretched in my direction, I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry. I knew it was a childish thing to do but I didn't exactly care at the moment.

"Now listen here, the two of you are in a lot of trouble. Naruto, this is the third time this week I've had to come get you, and Kanra," He gave me a pointed look and I remained silent, keeping down any snarky retorts. "I expected better from you. Because the two of you decided to ditch class when we get back you'll be staying afterwards for detention today." A unanimous groan resounded from the two of us as I went limp in his grip, there was no longer any use fighting it. I was already in trouble, it couldn't possibly get any worse.

I stand corrected.

Iruka dragged the two of us back to class, and just my luck the only two seats left open were right next to each other in the front row. We were thrown into our chairs and the lessons resumed. I took this time to look around me, promptly ignoring a lot of the stares from my classmates. Naruto was on my left shooting me a nasty glare, while on my right was a kid who had the right idea and was sleeping pretty peacefully. After only a few minutes the idiot blonde's glare was returned by my own and the glaring contest began. Following that were the subtle punches in the arm every time Iruka turned his back.

They grew in intensity after each one, and by the time lunch rolled around I was sure I had a pretty decent patch a bruises on my shoulder.

When our lunch break started all the kids immediately broke off into groups. Everyone except Naruto and I. And as soon as Iruka left the room I knew what was coming. A quick jab close to my already busted lip. Our exchange did not go unnoticed and from the complete silence that filled the room I knew everyone was watching, I let out a quick laugh as I returned the hit, making sure to really dig my knuckles into the same cheek.

We stood simultaneously, I fell into a proper fighting stance, holding my fists close to my face incase of another surprise attack. Naruto's form was sloppy and I knew in an instant what kind of fighter he was. Stance too wide, arms too far apart, he was asking for a beat down. I may be a girl but that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight.

"Just give up already. We both know I'll win." I offered, he scoffed taking another swing. I brought my arm up blocking it.

"Like hell I'd give up, I don't back down from a challenge." A challenge, he didn't...Nope, he did. I dropped my arms, straightening myself. Nauto blinked in confusion.

"A challenge, huh. How about this, Naruto, I'm feeling lucky today, so what are your thoughts on a bet?" All anger he previously had was thrown out the window at this point, and he looked like he was seriously considering it.

"What kinda bet?" Hook, line, and sinker, he's taken the bait. I gave myself a mental high-five.

"This kind, I know graduations coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So I'm willing to bet you, that even though I just showed up so close to the end, I'll be sure to graduate before you." He snorted in disbelief.

"And if you don't?" That's right Naruto, keep talking.

"If I don't...I'll drop out completely and take back everything I said. **But,** If I win you'll be the one dropping out." The room buzzed with anticipation and I could feel their eyes darting between us, the tension grew as Naruto thought it over. I've only know the kid for half a day, but I can already tell you without a doubt these three things.

One, This kid seriously gets on my nerves, I already hate him.

Two, Naruto is a stubborn idiot and he'll definitely take me up on this wager.

And three, he hasn't a chance in hell at beating me. Before long he'll be gone, out of my life forever.

"So do we have a deal?" I held out my hand, staring him in the eye. He looked less then confident. Come on do it already...no? What if...

I threw on my cockiest smirk, that did it, he narrowed his eyes and his hand shoot out to grasp mine. We shook on it. It was official and everyone in class was a witness.

I returned to my seat and let the rest of the day run its course. I knew that by the time the sun set, everyone in this damned village would hear about it. There'd be no way to deny it and I had the feeling that Naruto was the kind of guy who valued his stupid pride before anything else. He couldn't back out now or he'd be dubbed a coward for the rest of his life.

Too bad for him though, I **NEVER** lose.

_  
To get you excited for the next chapter here's a little sneak peek~

Next time: "Train. Learn to build on the skills you lack, get to know your limits, push those boundries, expand your spirit, your mind, and your body. If you don't properly balance your attributes, befor you know it, it'll all start crashing down around you." I looked back at him with a smirk on my lips.

 **I'M SO SORRY SCHOOL WAS KICKING MY ASSSSSSS! But its over now and I have time to write again~ Concerning the paths I'm really thinking of writing them out one at a time, as in I finish route A then I put up B what do you think? Let me know in a review or PM they really help motivate me! (honestly it makes me feel lazier than Shikamaru when I don't get any feed back) If you've spotted an error let me know so I can fix it! Love you guys. ^v^**


	6. Chapter 6(A) A History

**WoooooooooOH fun, another chapter hopefully this will pull together some pieces of the character puzzle I've been meticulously crafting and it'll clear up anything you think (｛・** **ω-*} ) is out of place. Everything in my story has significance no matter how miniscule the detail may seem. It's all part of my grand master scheme~ (wow them rhymes, I should be Killer Bee's apprentice!)**

 **Just you wait n' see!  
_**

 **Hiruzen Sarutobi P.O.V**

I watch the confrontation between the two academy students, using my telescope technique, unravel slowly. When Iruka had first alerted me of Kanra's absence I might have suspected something, my doubts however began to ease slightly when I found her. Of all people she had the chance to meet on this particular day, Naruto Uzumaki was the first. The clear dislike they had of one another was quite amusing, this was perhaps because of Kanra's rash choice of action or Naruto's follow-through style. Most likely it was a combination of the two, and they were immediately at odds.

And even once Iruka had returned them to their proper place, their feud continued discreetly. Such displays reminded me of a lot of certain ninja under village command, it just seemed they couldn't get along. But things only seemed to get worse for the two, and they took action once their sensei left. No doubt their fight had little meaning behind it, as most fights involving Naruto usually do, but it is what Kanra did that surprised me most. The burning determination she appeared to have was no bluff, and she easily kept pace with Naruto's obstinate attitude.

She struck a deal with the young boy, one she clearly knew he would not refuse. The young Uzumaki was like an open book, displaying his emotions with crystalline clarity. That aside, however, she was clever, easily manipulating him into her gamble. This was a common tactic used often in T&I departments, though he highly doubt she even knew that.

Still he wondered if he had underestimated the extent of her dislike for the boy. Dropping out of the academy for the accumulative result of their unfortunate encounter. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it just yet, considering everything thus far though he intended to continue his observations of the girl.

"Hokage-sama, our forces have done as you asked. All the knowledge our informants have gathered thus far has been validated." I glanced at the masked anbu briefly before accepting the document scroll from them. Moving aside the crystal orb, I unbound the scroll and laid it out across my desk.

It was a standard report and it's contents were brief, but it provided the info to validate Kanra's story.

Name: (undisclosed surname), Kanra

Age: 11 years

DOB: September 9th.

Origin: Dokomo Village.

Mother: Tsukikomishi, Kirigama

Father: Unkown.

Singular parent was assumed to be unmarried, as no secondary parent was ever recorded, however Kirigama did originate from a small family of Medical experts in Kumogakure. The Mother was reported as missing by her family, consisting of only her two parents, approximately seventeen years ago. It is likely she left of her own accord. A search for her began, but was called off only a year after it was initiated. Following this, town records from Dokomo have only recorded fourteen years of residence from the Mother. Once her child came into existence hospital documentation from the mother's file showed a steady increase of heavy illness, which resulted in her death only six years after the birth of Kanra. Her child's medical history show no signs of any related afflictions. Further investigation of the home suggest abandonment.

Witnesses give an account of the child leaving the residence after a full year of neglect. No more details on the individual during the time after has been recovered. A prompt inspection of Tsukikomishi family turns up nothing of existential significance. All previous Kumo familial members perished to natural cause.

The info was stagnant but enough to relent on investigations. Now it would all be up to Kanra to prove her loyalty to her village. There was nothing more I could do for the girl.

"You still never answered my question." The voice called from behind me. A voice I knew well.

"You ask a lot of questions Kakashi." I asked, closing my eyes in thought. I heard him move, making his presence known as he approached my front.

"Why _that_ class? Out of all the classes training future genin, why put her in that class?" I glanced up at him and as always his expression remained stoic, but the suspicion in his eye was clear.

"Looks like I've been found out." I chuckled, grabbing the pipe from my desk before continuing."You shouldn't underestimate them Kakashi. Many assume just because they are from Konoha's most privileged clans that they are only there to keep up appearances and spread influence. They couldn't be farther from the truth, those children are sharper than your average academy student, I trust them to keep their future teammate in check."

"But that's not the only reason, is it." It wasn't a question.

"You're able to see right through me Kakashi. Correct again, with Kanra in the same class as the young Uzumaki, it's much easier to keep an eye on the both of them. Alas, it seems they've gotten off on the wrong foot."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, interest laced through his tone.

"You'll just have to wait and see for yourself, or perhaps ask the girl. After all the two of you seem to be getting along fabulously." I laughed lightly to myself, however he seemed less than amused.

"I wouldn't say that exactly, but I will admit, she is...different."

"Oh, how so?" I grinned.

"It's mostly the attitude. The kid is brutally honest, there's no sugar coating it with her."

 **Regular P.O.V**

Our sensei left us quite some time ago, but I couldn't relax, I still felt like I was being watched. The sensation hadn't eased up one bit since lunch ended, but with all the other students gone, it felt irrational at this point.

In my hands was a book reviewing the basics of transformation techniques, might as well brush up on my form while I wait out detention. Naruto, however, seemed to have other ideas. I looked up every once in a while to assess him.

He sat three seats down from me but I could still hear all the sound he made loud and clear. At first he slept, but after a while I guess he got bored with that. Then he started digging through his bag, pulling out some kind of container, it appeared to have food in it. Some one clearly never taught him and manners, I thought, as I listened to his annoying slurping. Given enough time however that too ended. But it didn't stop there, no, he started whistling.

I put done the book, sighing in frustration.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I nearly growled at him, he was unphased.

"Not really." He smiled. Oh I got it now, he's been doing this on purpose. Well two could play at this game.

"Really, because as far as I can tell, you really have no skill as a ninja. How are you going to win our bet, if you don't take this seriously?" I smiled as politely as I could.

"Ha, like I'd lose, you probably don't know this but I plan on becoming the future Hokage!"

The Hokage, huh. You dream big kid, but dreams are just that. If you don't put any effort it'll always stay a dream.

Don't get me wrong, the old man definintly deserved respect. Because, lets be honest, any ninja who gets to be as old as he was, has the skill necessary to back them up. He might look a little frail but underneth that disguise he's 100% lethal.

Truth be told, I don't plan on getting too old, the ripest age a ninja of moderate calibre can reach is reported to be around 24 to 33 years of age. Anything after that means that ninja has some real power, or is a coward who prefers not to stray too far from home.

"So, Naruto, when exactly do you plan on becoming Hokage?" I asked as I kicked my feet up onto the desk. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes before he spoke again.

"What do you mean by that?" I sighed. This guy is too much.

"You're telling me you haven't even started planning? You're not going to get very far like that." His face was blank, still trying to process what I was saying. "Let me break it down for ya kid, a Hokage has got to be prepared for anything, hes gotta be a quick thinker and know when he has to step up and take control of the reins. You catching my drift yet?" He nodded slowly looking down at his hands.

"Yeah, I get it, but...I'm not very good at stuff like that." I blinked at his unnatural quietness and turned my gaze to the window, the trees swayed lazily in the breeze and the sun beams flicked and danced, casting leafy shadows across my legs.

"So that means there's only one thing you can do."

"What's that?" He asked as he lifted his head and his eyes openly displayed his curiosity.

"Train. Learn to build on the skills you lack, get to know your limits, push those boundries, expand your spirit, your mind, and your body. If you don't properly balance your attributes, befor you know it, it'll all start crashing down around you." I looked back at him with a smirk on my lips. "So Naruto, let me rephrase my earlier question. When are you going to start taking the title of Hokage seriously?" Naruto stood slamming his hands down on the smooth wooden surface of his desk and his eyes narrowed. In them I saw the determination flare up and spark.

"You don't think I can do it huh? Well, I'll show you, I'll train harder than anyone else, I'll learn to be the best Hokage this village has ever seen. Just you wait and see Kanra! I'll make you eat those words and when you see how great I am, you'll have to take back everything you've said about me!"

I felt the grin on my lips form and closed my eyes.

"That sounds like a challenge, I'm totally in." I didn't have to open my eyes to know that Naruto turned around and stormed straight out of the room. Only when it was completely quiet did I open my eyes again.

"Man...That kid's got a long way to go, but thats fine, a challenge wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't worth the wait."

"Hmm, well said." As a ninja in training I would have liked to say I handled my next action with the true poise worthy of a shinobi, but I don't think falling out of my seat and onto my face again really counts.

"Hello solid ground, my one true rival." I muttered against the floorboards. After getting well aquatinted with them I rose, pushing my body up and onto my knees. I stayed there on the floor, better to be down than to suffer any more humiliating falls. Ninja my ass, I was about as graceful as an overturned turtle. I'm gonna have to work on that.

"If you're quite done, mind explaining that?" He asked while crouched nonchalantly on the windowsill. Let him act all high and mighty, I'll have my revenge one day, I made sure to mentally record this experience for later reference.

Meanwhile I recounted nearly my entire day to Kakashi who, surprisingly enough, listened with little interruption. I didn't leave out a single detail, and even went out of my way to include my thoughts on certain moments. All in all it only took about ten minutes to tell him everything.

"So, now you understand." I huffed out. Kakashi nodded to himself, letting everything I told him sink in.

"I see, but I do have just _one_ question."

"Yeah, about what?"

"Why were you ditching?"

"...Don't you have something better to do?!"

I hadn't heard the end of it since I left the academy, Hatake just wouldn't let the subject drop. In reality I knew he just liked tormenting people, lucky me, I get stuck with the most emotionally sadistic ninja in all of the leaf village.

"Can you go away now, please?" I asked from my cozy tree branch loft. I stared down at the grey haired man in disdain.

"Sorry kid, no can do." I could tell he was smiling, that bastard, he's worse than I thought. I gave up, instead choosing to ignore him completely as I settled down in my niche, crossing my legs and taking a deep breath. I couldn't do much about his presence so I might as well get over it and focus on my training. I had an understanding of chakra already and because of that it gave me a huge advantage over my fellow competitor, Uzumaki. From what I've gathered in our brief class time, I've come to the conclusion that...he sucks. He hardly listens to his lessons, his attention span is dismal at best, and he has no noticeable skills other than being loud and obnoxious.

I've got this in the bag! ...But still, there's no such thing as too much practice. Besides my chakra control needs a bit of work.

I steadied my breathing, let my eyelids drop, folded my hands together and layed them loosely in my lap. I cleared my thoughts of everything but the feel of my chakra. It wasn't a hard thing to understand, putting it into action however, was another challenge entirely. The hardest part is getting it to flow just the way you wanted it to, in my personal opinion, chakra has always felt like some strange combination of a liquid and a solid. A substance easily pliable and versatile, like water. But strong and stable, like metal. Picturing a raging river of molten steel always helps me when I try drawing it out.

I start at my center, reaching into my core and pulling it. It moves through me, upwards and outwards. I concentrate it into my left shoulder, down my arm it passes smoothly. Bridged by my intertwined fingers, it jumps, flooding over into my right arm and crawls back up and over. And so the cycle repeats itself.

The training continues with various forms of similar exercises, moving concentrated amounts of chakra through my system, holding it as long as I can before returning it to its source where it settles back as if it had never been disturbed in the first place. By the time I feel like I've done enough I open my eyes and notice the considerable shift of light. The sun is already sinking down on the horizon, filling the sky with a warm, orange glow. The shadows cast by the trees are stretched thrice their original length and mingle lazily with one another.

It's a nice view, I take it all in and store it away in my memory for safekeeping.

Though it hasn't even gotten dark yet, I decide to turn in for the day, all the excitement really wore me down. I decide to skip dinner, I'm too exhausted to hunt it down anyways.

I reach into my bag and pull out my trusty blanket. Laying the grey pack behind my head like a makeshift pillow and throwing the worn out cloth over my body. I'm teetering just on the edge of sleep when a soft voice calls out.

"You know, I'm sure you could be provided better shelter, if you just asked." Kakashi said, all hints of mocking and feigned emotion are non-existent now. Without it though, he just sounded kinda...tired. Not the kind of tired sleeping could ever fix. I look down at him, his eyes are still on his book. I give a soft snort and turn over, facing the sunset.

"No thanks. Besides, I like it better out here, if I come into any money, I'll think about finding a place." I yawn out the last three words and pull the cover tighter around my body. For a while its quiet, but like I expected, his question comes.

"Why?"

By now my I don't have the energy to keep my eyes open, but I answer him anyway.

"Because, if I didn't earn it in some form or another, I wouldn't feel like I honestly deserved it." He doesn't say anything else and I can only assume he understands my reason. Before I'm completely out though I can hear him walk away, likely on his way back home. The sound gets farther away until its all but disappeared. He stops, hesitating.

"G'night kid, I'll see ya tomorrow." And he's gone.

 **And done! This one probably has the most character development in it, but don't worry Kanra will start interacting with more characters in the next chapter. Maybe she'll make some friends (or enemies~) Either way plot will start happening soon, sorry if most of these chapters are kind of boring though ^-^; decent characters are made not born, it takes effort! But yeah, I really hope you liked it!**

 **Review, favorite, follow. Do it! ...I need the encouragement.**


	7. Chapter 7(A) Liar Liar

**I promise that the chapters will be way more exiting...okay not by too much but yeah, this one will probably have a bit of a time skip. It might also be longer but if it is too long I will split it into two chapters. K enjoy.**

 ** _Running, why are you always running!?_** A multitude of angry voices hiss in my ears, screeching at me, my legs forced me forwards.

 _Because I'm scared._

 _Because I'm alone._

 _Because I'm just a kid._

Something lashed out at me from my blind spot, I couldn't be sure of it but it felt like knives pressed into my neck, strangling the life out of me. The painful sounds of buzzing and crying echoes from the darkness around me, all different voices, all crying out for mercy.

It hurts. I can't help you, I'm sorry.

I'm...sorry.

I woke up earlier that I usually did, the sun hadn't even risen just yet, a faint, speckled layer of silver stars graced the lightening lavender sky.

Another lovely moment saved into my memory banks. I gaze at the slowly vanishing half moon relishing in the simple beauty of it. You never know what day will be your last, so I always found it best to appreciate the small things like this, there's no telling if I'll ever be able to see the sky look so calm.

I sit up and stretch, popping my stiff joints as I did. After folding up the old blue blanket I toss it back into my bag and sling the sack over my shoulder. I drop down from my branch. There's no way I could go back to sleep now, so what to do?

After a just a few minutes of thinking I decide to do so more chakra exercises, this time I' think I'll practice my chakra adhesion since it's been awhile. I glanced back up at the sky, I'd say I've got about two hours at most before I can even think about heading to the academy, and good thing it's a Friday, I'll have all week-end to keep practicing too.

I walk away, deciding to spare the tree that is currently my home and find one with a nice smooth surface. It didn't take long. I immediately began focusing the chakra into to the bottom of my feet and carefully lifted my left foot. It connects without a problem, I continued with my right, another success. Right, left, right, left. I kept my pace slow and my breathing in time with my steps.

I could feel it, this time I know I can make it to the top of this tree, I will definitely get it right this time!

I've already passed half the length when I notice how the limbs grow close together. I pick up the pace and try my best to weave my way between them all. But as soon as my sleeve gets snagged my concentration is broken and I find myself quickly plummeting to the earth. I manage to land on my shoulder before throwing my self into a roll to relieve the stress of the impact. Once the world stops spinning and I right myself, I do a quick check for damage.

Nothing is broken and I'm not in any real pain, so I dive straight back into my training. If I'm not seriously hurt I can keep going.

By the time that the sun has fully lifted off of the horizon, I've finished with the training, I hadn't quite made it to the top but after today I know that I'll be able to do it properly.

There was still plenty of time before I had to leave so I took full advantage of it and decided my old clothes needed a good wash. Other than the ones I wore I had my old black Kimono and a set of regular clothes consisting of a plain black shirt and black shorts. I changed into the latter and proceeded to wash the rest in the shallow creek that ran through the far end of the training field.

Once that was done I rung them out of excess water and took them back to the tree. I strung up a small section of ninja wire between two branches and draped each piece of clothing over it to dry in the sun. Looks like this is what I'll be wearing to school today, I sighed and shoved my feet into my sandals. There's no use wasting anymore time out here.

As I went to stand I saw something dart out of the bushes from the corner of my eyes.

A brown forest hare, I smiled to myself drawing a kunai out of the pouch around my waist.

Time for breakfast/Target practice~ I lined up my shot and with a quick flick let the kunai sore deftly through the air. There was no time for it to have even realized.

~~~~~~~~~~~(one rabbit breakfast later)~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as I expected, I was the first student to arrive, I ran a hand through my short messy hair as I greeted Iruka sensei. He shot me an incredulous look.

"Kanra, what are you doing here so early?" Right, I think after the whole Uzumaki incident he's lost all faith in me.

"What, just because I was late yesterday does not mean it will become a regular occurrence. In fact I plan on showing up the same time until I officially graduate from the academy." I didn't wait for him to add anything, instead I spun on my heels, and sat firmly on the end of the middle row. I tossed my bag on to my desk in front of me and opened it. I pulled out large metal box and lifted the hinged lid open, inside were dozens of small paper cranes of all different colors and a single senbon. I moved them all aside to grab a few sheets of colored paper stacked in the bottom of the container.

Ah, origami, one of the best ways to kill time~ I laid the square sheet flat, folding diagonally into a triangle, then in half, pulling open a corner...

4 cranes...5...6...7. After each one was completed and carefully lowered it into the box, I took the senbon and scratched another tally on the inside of the lid before starting my next one.

"U-um Kanra, I didn't know you liked o-origami." A soft voice interrupted me halfway through my eighth crane. My head shot up, nearly colliding with the girls forehead, she took a small step back and looked at her feet.

Short black hair with a bluish tint, glassy eyes, and a stutter.

"Ah it's you, um..." I never got her name.

"Hinata Hyuga."

It was then a plan formulated itself in my head. Kanra this is your chance, earn their trust, it's always nice to have some additional backup! And who knows, I'm sure some of them would be willing enough to help you in return, after all that is what _friends_ do~ Kanra you clever bastard!

"Oh, well Hinata, I find it pretty relaxing," I gave the room a quick once over, only now noticing the room had filled up quite a bit. "It also tends to be very distracting." I let out a slight chuckle hoping to relieve the awkwardness between the two of us. Lucky for me, it does just that.

"Your cranes are v-very pretty." She smiles and the genuine sincerity in her voice makes me smile back. I quickly finish up the eighth crane, a black one, and place it in the Hyuga's palm before she can refuse.

"Here you can have this one~" She blushes and inspects the cranes with expert care.

"T-thank you! But why?" She places the paper bird on the desk and takes a seat next to me.

"Well Hinata, I'll have you know I only share my special cranes with people I like. Heh, you should be honored~" Her smile brightens immediately and I shoot her a wink.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, I may be new around here, but I can already tell you're the kind of person who treats others fairly and doesn't discriminate." I laugh lightly and Hinata soon joins in. When it's quiet again she glances over at the box.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something. Um why are you m-making so many cranes." I look at the box, a face flashing into my thoughts before I push it away, and pulled it closer so that Hinata can have a better look. I guess I can trust her with the truth.

"Well they're all very special to me, every time I make one I think of something I'm grateful for or a recent memory that I want to cherish." She looks surprised and a look I can only describe as awe crosses over her face. She tries counting all the birds with her eyes, but I can tell she is already loosing count.

"By the way, Hinata, have you ever hear of the Legend of one thousand cranes?" She leans in and shakes her head, her curiosity is openly displayed by her movement as she moves onto the edge of her seat. For dramatic effect I let my eyes dart around my surroundings and beckon her closer. "Well they say that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes, will be granted a wish by the gods. And other say eternal good luck will come to those who finishes them. I'm not really sure about any of that but, paper cranes are known to be signs longevity and good health, and I just happen to think they're pretty neat." I whisper to her in a secretive manner as if it were some family secret. The girl nods her head thoughtfully and looks over the black paper bird like her respect for it just increased a hundred-fold.

"Wow, I never knew that! So how many cranes have you folded, Kanra?" I quickly count up the tallies.

"Hmmm, three hundred and sixty seven of them." I shot her a quick thumbs up and close the box.

"Do you ever think you'll make it to one thousand?"

"Maybe someday, and if I do I probably won't stop at just a thousand." Hinata folds the crane flat and slips it into her jacket pocket, patting the spot once it's safely away.

"W-well I think it's a nice sort of goal to have, maybe I should try learning some origami too." She lets out a soft giggle. I grin and put my bag under my desk.

"Well I just have to make sure to teach you how one of these days~" Our conversation ended there and I watched as the remaining students showed up. I surveyed each of them carefully, in the same way I had done on the first day, taking note of anyone who looked even remotely strong. Best not to make enemies with the wrong people just yet~

As I continued with my mental evaluations, a familiar face appeared in the door way. Ahh maybe Uzumaki is actually taking this seriously! One glance from him was enough, his eyes said it all. A bright blue flame flickering against a sea of red hot determination.

Crushing him is going to be even better than I thought!

I pretended to ignore him, and faced the front of the room waiting for our sensei to begin our lessons.

Oh joy, we get to go outside and do some weapons training, finally some real action! We were told to all line up and wait patiently once we entered the academy practice grounds. We did as we were told and waited as Iruka sensei, and some accompanying ninja who I assumed taught at the academy, set up a line of varying targets. Most of them were fairly close and others a good distance away, I grinned in anticipation. Out of all of my skills my aim was my second best, time to knock off Iruka's socks with my superb accuracy...wait he wasn't wearing any socks...eh whatever.

We were then moved into rows of five, side by side, facing the targets. Each of us stood apart with about an arms length of distance between us. I was in the last row. To my left was a boy who was hunched over and decked out in various shades of gray, his black hair was pulled back into a sharp ponytail. To my right, a girl in a red sort of dress, her most noticeable feature by far was her long pink hair that fell almost all the way down her back. Someone should tell her that her outfit is not very ninja friendly, there couldn't be any way she could move properly in that thing right? She noticed me looking and gave me a small wave, I returned it, not wanting to seem rude.

I know I'm a bit sneaky with my ambitions but I'm not so bad that I would treat everyone like I did the Uzumaki boy. But let's get something straight! ...He started it.

After our arrangements were completed our sensei reappeared with a clipboard in his hands.

"Alright, today you will be graded on your performance with three types of standard equipment. The shuriken, the Kunai, and the senbon. You will be given three of each and asked to hit your marks. Your grade will be determined by how far your projectile lands from the intended targets." He announced while motioning the first row of students forward.

The assignment went pretty smoothly.

 **So I had to split the chapter before it got too long, I'm not quite finished with the next part so it may be a while until I update again. Also I only have a little less than a month until I must return to school TTnTT But good news I'M A SENIOR NOW! GO ME I'M ALMOST DONE WITH SCHOOL YEAHHHHHHHHH! Sorry for the wait in between chapters though . _ .**


	8. Note

Sorry for anyone who has read thus far, but I will **NOT** be updating this anytime soon, in fact this story will be suspended indefinitly as I am working on something much more indepth with a _(hopefully_ ) better execution than this one. I tried to make Kanra's approach to Konoha rather realistic and tangable, but I'm afriad it just isn't up to par with my standards. When I get back to this story, I am sure it will get a complete overhaul, but for now it will be placed in my permanent fic storage. Sorry to anyone who was actually enjoying this story, someday I will get back to this, swear.  
-Kosmic


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